Whenever large structures such as buildings are under construction or being repaired it is necessary to provide workers with ready access to all areas of those structures. From ancient Egypt to today such access has been provided by scaffolding. A scaffold is a temporary structure placed around a large structure to support people, tools, and materials and to provide access to work areas.
Scaffolding takes at least two (2) forms. A scaffold can be constructed in situ. After use such scaffolds are torn down. Such scaffolding provides great flexibility in that the scaffold can be made very large, very tall, and/or customized to particular applications. However, some jobs such as painting do not require such extreme flexibility. In those applications the use of Baker-style scaffolding is common. A Baker-style scaffold is a rather small, pre-made scaffold that is assembled when required and moved about. When work is being performed a Baker-style scaffold is rolled about on integral wheels or simply picked up and moved to other locations as need. When not needed a Baker-style scaffold is disassembled and moved to another site or stored. Because of their ease of assembly and mobility, Baker-style scaffolds are widely used in painting, sheet rocking, electrical installation and maintenance.
More often than not, workers on scaffolding are required to use tools and materials to complete their tasks. However, since Baker-style scaffolding is relatively small, there is often no suitable location to place tools, materials, and supplies other than on the scaffolding floor. This creates several problems. First, when a tool or material is needed it is on the floor of the scaffolding and out of reach, which necessitates stopping work to retrieve. Second, locating items on the floor creates a tripping hazard which can be particularly dangerous at elevated work locations. Additionally, such tools, supplies, and materials can easily be kicked over the side of the scaffolding where they can fall on workers who may be working below. This can, and has resulted in horrific injuries.
While they have proven to be very useful, Baker-style scaffolding is often assembled from pipes, rods, or beams that fit together to form a relatively small skeleton structure. That structure tends to limit what can be used with the scaffold.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which tools, supplies, materials and other items can be retained on Baker-style scaffolding.